Report Card

[hurrykaine]

Gibbs & coaching staff = B-: Gibbs and his offensive guys should get a D, but as a result of Gibbs, we are finally a team - one that plays with effort, a quality group of guys, no finger pointing & blaming others.

Offense: Overall grade = C-, playcalling = D

Brunell = F: A bust in all respects, no arm, no footwork, no leadership.

Ramsey = C: Came back admirably in the second half of the season, but has caused too many (atleast 4-5) turnovers around the opponents 20yd line, which is inexcusable. Has showed a lot of signs that he's picking up the ball control offense that we want to run here, and has started releasing the ball quicker. Hopefully, will be much better next year with improved pass protection.

Portis = B minus: Maybe his shoulder has been a factor all season, but on certain days, he just doesn't come out with any intensity. Hasn't fully mastered the Counter tre yet. Either he masters it, or we develop a Denver style O-line with zone blocking, or all his talent is wasted.

Betts = B: A better grade that Portis..why? because he's being graded as a back-up, and Portis as a starter. Hits the holes hard, and should be called upon more often to grind out the tough yards and in 3rd and shorts. Still needs a lot of work on his blocking skills and blitz pick ups.

O-line = C minus: Marginally better than last year, but a poor run blocking line against good defenses, which is a serious problem since our offense is centered around the run. Clearly need a new center. Hopefully, an improved downfield passing game next year will improve our running game. Giving up too many sacks for a Buges line, and not adept at blitz pick-ups just yet.

Coles = B: Still a playmaker, albeit slightly hobbled. Get that surgery today! High points for effort and intensity.

Gardner = C: 50-50 simply ain't gonna cut it for a starting receiver.

Thrash = A minus: For a back-up or as a 3rd receiver coupled with special teams skills & class act, the guy is a rare find. Welcome back!

Jacobs = B+: Graded as a back-up, 4th receiver. Has shown flashes of playmaking ability and the ability to get open. Could and should start opposite Coles next year.

Cooley = A-: For a rookie H-back, has been a monster contributor - sure hands, but needs to work a li'l harder at blocking.

Royal = B: Nice comeback in the second half of the year, and making plays in the red zone - still not a sure a pair of hands, and needs to block better.

Defense: Overall grade A, play calling = A+

With a good pass rusher next year, we would have to blitz less and won't be as vulnerable to big plays against high-powered offenses. To have created more than 15 INTs and sacked QBs like Daunte, McNabb & Big Ben mulitple times is a huge achievement for a bunch of no names.

D-line = B: Which is a high grade for those overachievers. A stellar performance compared to last year. Clearly, without disguised blitzing, couldn't get much pressure on the QB except for Griffin (who gets an A++). If we get a premium rusher in the draft, then Wynn (C) could play more at DT, assuming we still keep him.

Linebackers = A: Washington & Pierce were exceptional, with Lemar filling in admirably. Must resign Pierce.

Shawn Springs = A+: True redskin, great FA acquisition, and please stay healthy next year. Leads the team in sacks (I believe) & INTs - how about that?

Smoot = B+: Decent year, and improved coverage skills, but is still one of the worst tacklers. Is irreplaceable as the emotional leader of the team, and must be back next year.

Walt Harris = A minus: Being graded as a back-up/limited role, has filled in exceptionally well, and also has great special teams value.

Safeties = B+: Taylor gets a B+ He's showcased tremendous potential, and gotta love the way the rookie trash talks the TOs, Mosses and Keyshawns of the league. Has been burned 4-5 times for TDs this season, but does instill fear in opposing receivers. He needs to finesse his game, focus less on the red socks and bandage tape on his facemask, and limit boneheaded penalties.

Special teams: Overall grade C+
A lot of penalties, and poor blocking, though must seriously consider keeping Antonio Brown - he's cheap, has some blazing speed and has matured since his fumble in the Dallas game (called for a fair catch in the 4th quarter yesterday even when he didn't have to). Special teams have shown some improvement over last year though, especially with the blocked punts. Maybe Danny Smith is worth keeping after all.
Suggestion: Since Greg Williams is already assistant head coach - also give him responsibility for Special teams - I heard him say yesterday that he's been a ST coordinator in the league and been No. 1 - does anyone know where?

Jeff Chandler = B+: Has only missed 1 ridiculously long range kick (as far as I know), and is a reliable kicker (better than Kimrin). Needs to get more leg into his kick offs though (if possible at all). Must consider wasting a practice squad position for him if Hall doesn't fully recover.

Hall = C: Missed a bunch of medium range kicks this season, and was a shadow of his former self.

[skinsguy]

I agree with mostly everything you said with just a couple of exceptions. I definitley agree with the defense...what an awesome job Gregg Williams has done for our defense. I expect us to be number one next season. As for Joe Gibbs playcalling, I think he deserves a higher grade than 'D'. This is a rather conservative offense for the most part, but will loosen up more when players get more comforatable with it. I would say Gibbs gets at least a 'C' for playcalling. I thought playcalling has been very well balanced...especially since the second Giants game. Gotta remember, we had to agonize through Mark Brunell for over half of the season and even the most conservative high percentage passes were a challenge for MB. I think Gibbs gets an 'F' for wanting Brunell, but its sort of the thing of who knew he was going to suck this bad!

[jdlea]

I kinda knew Brunell would suck. Not as bad as he did, but I knew his contract was unwarranted. There's a reason he lost his job to the younger QB with a strong arm...twice now.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by hurrykaine

Smoot = B+: Decent year, and improved coverage skills, but is still one of the worst tacklers. Is irreplaceable as the emotional leader of the team, and must be back next year.

Have you lost you're mind?!?!

For a CB(granted, not saying much) he is one of the better tacklers in the league.

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

Have you lost you're mind?!?!

For a CB(granted, not saying much) he is one of the better tacklers in the league.

Nope...Springs is a sure tackler, Bailey is a sure tackler, Darrell Green was a sure tackler - Smootie, though I love the guy, stinks at tackling.

[offiss]

Originally Posted by jdlea

I kinda knew Brunell would suck. Not as bad as he did, but I knew his contract was unwarranted. There's a reason he lost his job to the younger QB with a strong arm...twice now.

Same here, I knew he wasen't a very good QB but with that said I figured he would have been better than what we saw, I believe Gibb's offense had a lot to do with him looking worse than he really is.

[skinsguy]

Although I agree with Green, Bailey, and possibly Springs being sure tacklers, but have we followed the same Fred Smoot??? I think Smoot has done a heck of a job with tackling this year.

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by skinsguy

I agree with mostly everything you said with just a couple of exceptions. I definitley agree with the defense...what an awesome job Gregg Williams has done for our defense. I expect us to be number one next season. As for Joe Gibbs playcalling, I think he deserves a higher grade than 'D'. This is a rather conservative offense for the most part, but will loosen up more when players get more comforatable with it. I would say Gibbs gets at least a 'C' for playcalling. I thought playcalling has been very well balanced...especially since the second Giants game. Gotta remember, we had to agonize through Mark Brunell for over half of the season and even the most conservative high percentage passes were a challenge for MB. I think Gibbs gets an 'F' for wanting Brunell, but its sort of the thing of who knew he was going to suck this bad!

We kinda agree on the playcalling grade infact. For the most part, the playcalling was balanced and does get a C - however, the reason I downgraded it was because the play calling was poor in some critical situations - aka, the Dallas game when we should've thrown to Cooley to make a 1st down with 1:43 to go instead of running 40 gut three straight times with Betts and then punting.

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by skinsguy

Although I agree with Green, Bailey, and possibly Springs being sure tacklers, but have we followed the same Fred Smoot??? I think Smoot has done a heck of a job with tackling this year.

I think when you're being generous to Smootie's tackling because he lacks the size that Bailey and Springs have....but I use that to say he needs to work extra hard on his tackling, precisely because he lacks the size. There's no way for example, that Smoot could bring down a Culpepper, Favre, Mcnabb or Roethlisberger. In G William's defense, a CB's responsibility isn't just to cover WRs, he has to blitz the QB from time to time, and when you blitz and fail to sack the QB, he usually makes you pay.

[Redskins_P]

Originally Posted by skinsguy

Although I agree with Green, Bailey, and possibly Springs being sure tacklers, but have we followed the same Fred Smoot??? I think Smoot has done a heck of a job with tackling this year.

Smoot has done a heck of a job, but he still has room for improvement. He has "whiffed" a couple of tackles. But I think hes improved tremendously since last year and the year before.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

Have you lost you're mind?!?!

For a CB(granted, not saying much) he is one of the better tacklers in the league.

I agree, I think smoot is a good tackler and is not scared to take a hard hit. Hurrykaine,Bailey is a very poor tackler that would not take the hard hit to make the tackle. Kinda like Deion.

[skinsguy]

I'm not saying Smoot is the best tackler but he doesn't stink at tackling. That honor goes to Dieon Sanders, lol!

In regards to the Dallas game...although throwing to Cooley MIGHT have kept the chains moving...an incomplete pass stops the clock. Running was the best thing we could do because it kept the clock running and forced Dallas to use their time-outs. In those situations, running is the better option....we just didn't run effectively.

[hurrykaine]

One of the best moments of the season for me came yesterday, in a comcast sportsnet interview with Ryan Clark, who claimed that the defense had a horrible outing yesterday since they didn't create any turnovers to put the offense in decent scoring position.

Those are exceptionally high standards for a defense, and extremely ambitious remarks from a rookie safety. Gotta love that....just pray that G. Williams does infact come back next year.

[skinsguy]

He's already stated he's coming back. I expect him to be here at least 3 years and maybe longer if he feels he has a good shot at Head Coach when Gibbs retires.

[sportscurmudgeon]

hurrykaine:

Here are my grades per your listing:

Coaching staff: B- I agree with you here. This is a team that could have come apart at the seams with offense/devense finger pointing and it did not happen. That is what brings the grade up from C-/D+ which is what a 6-10 team has actually earned on the field.


Offense: Overall grade = D-. Look at the team record; look at where they rank in terms of scoring - the statistic that actually makes a difference when it comes to team record - and the Redskins offense this year is barely above abject failure.